(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh).
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Two of the intentional passes loaded the bases, in the 10th and 12th, though as Zimmerman pointed out, that is not as much of a risk with two outs – which was the case on both occassions – as it would be otherwise, since it takes a hit to score a run.
Cubs: C Miguel Montero (lower back tightness) will increase his hitting Sunday, Maddon said.
With the victories the Cubs have improved to 24-6 on the season which is the best record in all of baseball. Washington lost its fourth straight.
“They had a plan”, he said after the game. They stuck with their plan, ” Harper said.
While the calls were ridiculous against Harper, this is one of the times that Harper’s tendency to express his emotions vividly wound up biting him in the butt. The NL MVP walked 13 times in this series.
Cubs Manager Joe Maddon didn’t have a comeback to the “scared baseball” comment, except to say Harper (.265 batting average, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, .432 on-base percentage) is a player you simply don’t want to mess with. “I’ve been part of that in the past”. We did what we thought we had to do today, and it happened to work. “Good sinker, good slider, this guy’s going to be good for a long time”.
The walks in a game tied a major league record and Harper was the first player to fail to record an official plate appearance in seven at-bats, according to the Washington Post. Cubs pitchers walked Harper six times and hit him once Sunday. Ryan Zimmerman followed with a sharp ground ball behind third base that Kris Bryant couldn’t handle.
“He’s going to have to stay disciplined – a lot”, Bonds said. The club can’t stop Harper from coming to the plate, but they don’t have to give him anything to hit. ever.
Baez hit his home run with one out off Blake Treinen (2-1). Travis Wood (1-0) got the win. “His stuff wasn’t there, and he went five innings, two runs against maybe one of the better lineups in the league”. Through the first six innings of Sunday’s game, they looked like a team that had no business beating the Nationals. Jake Arrieta takes the hill, and he’s 6-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 37 strikeouts this season.
Last season, Harper hit.318/.434/.552 against lefties.
And Baez’s no-doubt shot to left center field pushed Arrieta’s remarkable streak to 20.
Washington plays seven games in the next seven days, starting with three against the Detroit Tigers and then four against the Miami Marlins including a doubleheader on Saturday.
“I was a little surprised it went out”.
The Cubs are once again featured on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated. Montero is eligible to come off the 15-day DL on Tuesday. The guy behind has got to hit, has got to do his job, basically.
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Chicago Cubs: The Cubs will open a three game home stand on Monday against the San Diego Padres.
